Taylor's Blog Update

Here you will read about our day to day battle with childhood cancer. Taylor is 6 years old and was diagnosed with nueroblastoma on October 10, 2002. Taylor has completed 6 rounds of high dose chemotherapy, an Autogolous Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant, 12 rounds of radiation (all in Birmingham, Alabama at Children's Hospital) and 4 rounds of 3F8 Anti-Body Treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City.

Monday, August 06, 2007

I wanted to ride 30 miles today, 1 mile for each year, but I ran out of time, plus, it was extremly HOT! I can’t believe I’m thirty years old. It seems like yesterday I was playing T-ball and life was easy. Now fast forward to today. Now it seems like every year that passes goes just a little bit faster.

Sunday, July 08, 2007

I figured with all the rain we have received the past two days, I needed to ride as soon as it stopped. Well, it finally cleared up some today, so I got in 24 miles with 1357 ft of climbing in just under 1 hour 20 minutes for an average of 18 miles per hour. It was very hot today. I’m saving up to get a new cycling computer for my bike so that I can get more accurate averages and distances without having to calculate them manually. I don’t want to use my old GPS that I used on my Trek because it’s too big and bulky. Hopefully within the week, I’ll have a new computer on my bike with lot’s of new bells and whistles!

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Today was fun! I went to church this morning and it was another great sermon from our new Pastor. We had some great patriotic music too. We went out to eat and then to swim for a little bit. We had to get out when it started to thunder and lighten. It never did rain, but it was so windy it blew the swing over. It was soon time to go to the church picnic. It was fun as always, but a little sad to leave without having the big fireworks show. The kids had all worked hard decorating their bikes and wagons and the parade was fun! Taylor and Logan had their bikes decorated with star streamers, a flag, a pinwheel that Logan thought was cool because it spun when it rode! They had some light up flags to hold, but they didn’t carry them. It is a stop and start sort of thing and I didn’t want them to fall or poke themselves trying to hold it. They loved it and smiled all the way around. After the parade it was time to go. Like I said, it was sad to leave and not get to see the fireworks, but we did get Pleasant Hill fireworks. The kids stood on the stge and jumped on bubble wrap while the youth popped those hand held things that shoot confetti. It was cute

Taylor was so excited when he saw a special guest come in. He was acting up and Jim said, “I see Mrs. Thornton coming in”. I thought he was saying it to calm him down, not that we use Mrs. Thornton as a threat. (I promise Mrs. T!!!) I just thought maybe he pulled that our of thin air, but it worked, he got so focued on looking for her that calmed down. However, daddy wasn’t messing with him, she really was coming in. He was shy and didn’t want to go up to her, but once he got to her and loved on her and talked about her all night. Oh how we will miss her next year!

Please be in prayer for Taylor as he continues to beat cancer. Pray for all our friends who are fighting too.

Met with a group I have never rode with before today and we rode right at 40 miles today at about a 15 mph average. It was a nice ride and a great group of guys to ride with. If I can get up again and make it over there on Saturday at 6am, I think I’ll ride with them again. That’s a big if!

My knee felt really good today, no problems at all. I’m icing it down right now just in case, because I’m ready to get the knee stronger so that I can ride more during the week. I would like to get my weekly mileage total to somewhere around 100-150 miles ridden per week. The two August rides are coming up soon and I want to be ready for both of them. It’s going to be really hard to do 2 100 mile rides on back to back weekends, so I’m going to see closer to time if I need to go shorter on one, or not ride one all together. Today’s the Fourth of July, I think I will go swimming with the boys and eat some bbq!Today’s the Fourth of July, I think I will go swimming with the boys and eat some bbq!Until next time….

Today’s the Fourth of July, I think I will go swimming with the boys and eat some bbq!Until next time….

Saturday, June 30, 2007

I rode about 17 miles yesterday. My knee felt good the first 5 miles, I really rode hard. About 12 miles in, I started experiencing pain again. I figured today it would be really bad, and while it has been a little sore and tender, it hasn’t been too bad. We shall see tomorrow, it’s usually two days after when it really starts hurting. I’m hoping soon I can start putting more and more miles on the new bike and getting more comfortable with it. It’s much lighter than my old bike, but I’m still getting use to the triple with the half click feature. It seems like sometimes I can’t get it into exactly the right gear.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Update: If you haven’t read todays update below then this part wont make since yet! Taylor will go back to see Dr. B on Sept. 18th. That is only 3 months rather than 6, but I am not complaining. I am perfectly happy to see him every 3 months, in fact, I prefer it! He will have blood and urine and that is it. I had hoped for scans, but it is really past time to do scans according to the protocol. So, I guess that is a good thing though nerve racking! He weighed in at 39 pounds and 43 inches. Back in March he was 39 pounds and 42 inches. He eats like a horse, so I guess he is going up rather than out. As long as he is not losing weight we are okay. I got one more bit of good news. My best friend Temperance called me and she is having a girl! yeah, I finally get a girl to spoil and I didn’t have to do the work!! Congrats to Chris, Temp and Christian. Christian is excited because he thinks paw paw can’t take a girl fishing! How funny! Please check on Evan too. The sound of the update makes me think prayers are needed. Thanks to all of you for checking on us. Your prayers were heard and answered!!!

Praise be to God the visit went great!!!! I can’t even tell you the burden that has been lifted from my shoulders. God has answered many prayers this week by giving me peace and comfort, but this is the best answer ever. Now granted he did not get scans, so we didn’t get to see in his body. Dr. Berkow knows his stuff and if he says labs look good and the check up is good then I am good too. It will be about a week before we hear the urine results, but there is no reason to expect them to be anything but normal.

Gam maw, Paw Paw and all the “cruisers” out there, ya’ll have a big margarita for us!

It was a long day for me. Jim called off the bat worried about his weight, so I start to panic that something is wrong. Well, it was just that he thought he had weighed a lot more back in March, but he didn’t. Taylor called me at 10:15 to tell me that he was going to go swimming after the Dr and that he didn’t even cry when they stuck his arm. As you may recall he went ape in March when she tried to poke him. Par for the course he did just fine for daddy! They were waiting on the Dr and then they would be done. At 11:40 I was about to go nuts wondering what was taking so long, why was Dr. B talking so much. I finally called them and they were at Chick Fil A!!! Oh my, all that worry and they were eating chicken!

Jim had to get to work, so I haven’t even talked to him. He has an appoinment in September, but I honestly do not even know if he will scan or what. He had an echo if his heart, but again, I do not know the results. I would assume they were okay since she was in no hurry to get them read and no one said anything. He has not had any damage to the heart and since he has not had chemo in 4 years there should be no more damage, but that is part of the protocol to have it checked out once a year.

I will update with more details as I know them. I just wanted you all to know that Dr. B said he was fine. Join us in sending thanks and praise to the Lord for this wonderful news!!! Pray that Evan is having good news today too. www.caringbridge.org/visit/evanthomason The boys are down in the playroom making a big mess or at least that is what it sounds like they are doing. I am just happy to hear it today.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Today, we go to the doctor for a routine checkup. Praise god we are at this point in Taylor's life where he just goes in for simple check ups!

3 years ago, he was running fevers...

June 19, 2004 Day +444 Day #142 off treatment

I didn't get much sleep last night. I didn't go to bed until about 2 and Taylor woke up at 3:30. He was burning hot with fever and saying he was cold. He got in our bed and eventually went back to sleep. I couldn't sleep for the worry that sat in. I knew that something had to make me worry before it was all over with. He has a very green and yucky nose and a nasty cough. He always does, so we don't worry too much, but it is still a worry. He never did take Tylenol and had no more fever, so who knows what it is. I swear, I think he knows when it is scan time and he starts acting up on purpose.

I had a pottery party today, so we hung out at home while people came and went. Taylor had a blast with all the kids coming. He took Macey for a ride in his gator. They had so much fun that they both got upset when she had to go. Taylor and Logan both did great painting on their pottery.

After the party was over Gam maw and Paw Paw came over with a surprise for Taylor. It was a little bitty go-kart. It is tiny and only goes 3 miles an hour. He was so funny riding it. He is a great driver and he can dart in and out of the lights around the drive way. I guess al that gator riding was good practice. It only had one pedal. If you let off the gas it stops, so there was no teaching how to use the brakes. He jumped right in and took off. He was laughing the whole time. The only bad thing is that he is used to being in the gator and he will get in and out and play. He wants to do that in the go kart too. He will ride a few minutes then turn it off and play then ask you to start it again. We called Pippy and Pop and they came over to watch for a while. I had 2 go karts when I was little, so we got a kick out of watching him. Jim and I wanted to ride too, but I mean it when I say it is little bitty and we don't fit.

After all that excitement we went to run some errands and get some dinner. Both boys fell asleep, so I did the errands while the guys slept in the car. We all went to Wal-mart together. Taylor got to get a prize since he has been in underwear and dry all day long!! We have been going to school in pull ups and wearing underwear at home. Well, today we went full underwear. He wore them all day, inside and outside, at home or in public. He was dry all day. He came in from playing, he told us in the store or in the car. He is even using the big potty rather than his potty chair. He has to have help getting up there, but that is no big deal. He got a Blue's Clues ring to go on the big potty to keep him from falling in. He loves it! I am so excited about him getting it. I don't know if it is school or he was just ready, but I am so glad. I bought diapers at Wal-mart and only bought Logan a pack!

Please pray that Taylor is fine and that we are just paranoid since it is scan time. Pray that he just has a cold or something simple. We will have to do nebs again since he is so congested and snotty or they will not put him to sleep for scans, so pray that he will clear up this week.